Uber’s Self-Driving Cars Are Back On The Road After Arizona Crash

Last week, an Uber car which was in self-driving mode crashed into another vehicle on an Arizona street, and pictures of the accident were posted online. Despite the massive damage to both vehicles, no one was hurt in the car crash.

While the ride-sharing company has suspended its self-driving cars in Arizona and other test sites following the accident, it was recently reported that the cars are back on the road again in Tempe and Pittsburgh.

The Verge reports that on Monday, Uber resumed its self-driving car activities following the accident which took place on Friday, March 24. A fleet of the company’s self-driving Volvo SUVs will be picking up and dropping off passengers in both Tempe and Pittsburgh,

Some Uber autonomous vehicles will be cruising San Francisco streets collecting mapping data and operating in self-driving mode. However, the vehicles will not be giving any rides to passengers after Uber gave in to California’s demand to register its self-driving cars in the state.

The self-driving program was briefly suspended after the driver of another vehicle failed to yield to the Uber car at a left turn in Arizona.

Speaking with the BBC, spokeswoman for the police in Tempe, Arizona, Josie Montenegro, said, “There was a person behind the wheel. It is uncertain at this time if they were controlling the vehicle at the time of the collision.”

Recode reports that Uber’s future depends on its self-driving vehicles, as it will keep the company relevant as more automakers—such as Tesla—are producing their own autonomous vehicles.

However, the ride-sharing company’s efforts are said to be in trouble as former and current employees told the site that the technology for the self-driving effort has come to a dead stop. Furthermore, it was claimed that there is much internal tension and clashes within the company, especially among its executive leadership.

As recently reported by Jobs & Hire, top executives have recently quit their posts at Uber, including president of ride sharing Jeff Jones and vice president of maps and business platform Brian McClendon.

Jones, who only worked for six months with Uber before announcing his resignation, cited differences over “beliefs and approach to leadership.” Meanwhile, McClendon is departing amicably from the company and is said to run for congress next year.